ANTIVIRUS SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOVABLE MEDIA DEVICES

• US 20130091575A1
• Filed: 10/07/2011
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kingston Digital, Inc. (Kingston Technology Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Imation Corporation (Glassbridge Enterprises, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duncan, David Paul, Farmer, David Blake
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/567 using dedicated hardware

Abstract

A removable media device, which may be a USB attached device or other type of removable media device, includes a software program located on the device which upon startup or access, the software program scans one or more of electronic files stored on the removable media device and electronic files being transferred to or from the electronic media device and to or from a host computing system for the detection of viruses therein. The software program is further configured to block the transfer of detected virus-containing electronic files and to disallow the copy or writing of files to or from the removable media device to or from a host computing system that can not be scanned. The software program is further configured to block the encryption of files being written to a removable media device if such device contains hardware or software encryption if such files can not be scanned.

Claims

1. A system for providing antivirus protection in a removable media device, the system comprising:

a removable media device, the removable media device comprising;

an executable software program stored thereon; and

a connection portion for electronic connection with a host computing system, the host computing system comprising a removable device receiving portion for receiving the connection portion in an operative electronic connection and a data storage device having stored thereon an antivirus program;

wherein the software program stored on the removable media device comprises a communication module for communicating an electronic instruction to the antivirus program stored on the host computing system directing the antivirus program to scan electronic files stored on, or being transmitted to or from, the removable media device; and

wherein the removable media device employs one or more of software encryption and hardware encryption for the protection the electronic files.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the removable media device is a removable storage device for transporting and storing electronic data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the removable storage device is attached to the host computing system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to automatically communicate with the antivirus program of the host computing system without intervention of a user of the host computing system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the software program stored on the removable media device further comprises an updating module configured to determine the currency of validation files associated with the antivirus program.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the updating module is further configured to establish an electronic connection, via a network, with a website of the antivirus program for downloading current validation files for the antivirus program.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the updating module is further configured to download current antivirus validation files in response to a determination that the validation files associated with the antivirus program are not current.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the software program stored on the removable media device further comprises a virus scan blocking prevention module configured to detect an attempt to block the scanning of one or more of the electronic files.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the virus scan blocking prevention module is configured to detect an attempt by a virus to block the scanning of an electronic file.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the virus scan blocking prevention module is configured to detect an attempt by a user of the host computing system to block the scanning of an electronic file by attempting to write a previously encrypted file that contains a virus to the removable device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein upon detection of an attempt to block the scanning of an electronic file, the virus scan blocking prevention module prevents data transfer to or from the removable device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the software program stored on the removable media device is configured to copy one or more electronic files onto the host computing system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more electronic files are copied in to a TEMP environment of the host computing system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the one or more files copied in to the TEMP environment of the host computing system comprises a unique monitor program that is launched and used to monitor and detect user or program operations intended to defeat, kill, or erase an antivirus program running from the removable device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein upon such detection the antivirus program running from the removable device is restored to the removable storage device, and, until the program is restored user operations to and from the removable device are interrupted through an issuance of operating system commands to remove the removable storage device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein if the removable media device employs encryption, the antivirus program scans electronic files for viruses pre-encryption and does not allow said files to be encrypted that can not be scanned.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein if the user attempts a decrypt operation on an electronic file from the removable device to the host computing system, said file is scanned during such decrypt operation prior to writing to the host computing system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein if the user attempts a decrypt operation on a file from the removable device to the host computing system that can not scanned, the such file is blocked from being decrypted to the host computing system.

19. A method for providing antivirus protection in a removable media device, the method comprising:

sending an electronic instruction from a removable media device to an antivirus program of a host computing device in operative association with the removable media device to scan one or more electronic files to be transferred from the removable media device to the host computing device; and

in response to an indication from the antivirus program that a virus has been detected in an electronic file, blocking or deleting the virus-detected file from the removable media device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a removable media device having stored thereon a software program configured to electronically execute the said sending and blocking or deleting.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising checking the currency of validation files associated with the antivirus program.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising initiating a download, via electronic network connection, of current validation files where the validation files associated with the antivirus program are not current.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising preventing file transfer from the removable media device where an attempt to block antivirus program scanning of the electronic files is detected.

25. The removable media device of claim 19, wherein the software program is further configured to block the transfer of detected virus-containing electronic files.

26. The removable media device of claim 19 being a USB device.

24. A removable media device comprising a software program configured to communicate with an antivirus program of a host computing system with which the removable media device is associated, wherein, upon receiving a communication from the software program, the antivirus program scans one or more of electronic files stored on the removable media device and electronic files being transferred to or from the electronic media device for the detection of viruses therein.